Preserved wood.



PETER C. REILLY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

PRESERVED WOO D.

Application filed August 81, 1905.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER C. REILLY, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Preserved Wood; and I do, hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichlike letters refer to like parts.

My invention is an article of manufacture -consisting of natural wood or wood fiber imregnated with ahydro-carbon oil derived rom the destructive distillation of petroleum in. the manufacture of oil or Water gas. This oil is roduced by the condensation of vapor whic is unconsumed in the manufacture of oilor water gas. It is heavier than water, has a specific gravity of'about 1.0725, begins to distil at about 150 0., is fluid at normal temperatures, is substantially nonvolatile and antiseptic, and when used for the impregnation of wood may be driven dee into the pores of the wood uniformly, .an will remain there permanently, and is not afiected by any of the'ordina'ry atmospheric changes or agencies.

The following is a description of the process for manufacturing this preservative, the material from whichit is made and the nature of the product, i

The apparatus consists -of a cylindrical retort having an iron shell lined inside with fire clay and loosely filled 'with pieces of broken fire brick or like refractory material.

One end of the retort is provided with an opening and appliances for heating the contents and-also'a suitably arranged spray pipe connected with a supply tank containing 011. The other end of the retort is provided with a sort of stack valve and a pipe connecting a condensing chamber and reservoir for the purpose 0 collecting such condensible matter and gas as may be produced by the process herei after described. The starting material must be a crude petroleum, or petroleum distillate, having a paraffin base.

In operation the tem erature of the contents of the retort is raised to a cherry red heat, then a spray of the petroleum oil is injected into it and caused to pass'up through the incandescent material. The heat transforms the constituents of the oil into fixed gases and condensible vapors. These gases and vapors are conducted into the cooling chamber, where the vapors are condensed, while the fixed gases pass on to the reservoir Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Serial No. 276,622. (Specimens) wh re they are stored. This. condensed mifterial, I find to be hi hly suited for preserving wood. The blac oily liquid has a chemical compositiondiffering wldely from the homologous methane or parafiin series (CnH,n+2) ton'v'vhich the starting material belon s. This hydro-carbon oil or mixture of hy ro-carbon oil has several characteristics by whichit may be distinguished. It has a specific gravity of'about 1.0725; it begins to distil at about 150 (-1; it is fluid at normal tem eratures; is substantially nonvolatile an is antiseptic to, the ordinary animal and vegetable organisms which would destroy wood fiber. It is also comparatively free of suspended matter, so that -1t may be used as a trueoil' is employed and is under almost all circumstances en,

tirely fluid. Under roper conditions it will permeate the fiber 0 wood and have little or no matter in suspension; the pores of the wood will not be stopped, but will remain 0 en, so that the oil may pass clear throught e Wood.

On account of the excessive severity of treatment to which the hydrocarbon compounds com osing the starting material, are subjected, tfie paraffin series is decomposed, part forming permanent (gases and part form- Inga liquid. Theli 'ui consists of hydrocarbon com ounds di erent from those which existed in t e starting material, the atoms of the molecules of the rearranged, through t e agency of heat, t at the compounds conform no longer to their original structure but to a mixed and varied araffin series bein so number of hydrocarbon compounds possessa ing such chemical and physical properties as tomake their product suited to my purpose. I find this'black oily liquid contains not only qualities superior to the so called creosote oils but contains a substance which forms a firm cement about the wood fiber of the blocks, making it much more imervious to water and more resistant to surace wear than wood fiber treated with any one of the numerous preservative compounds or mixtures now so extensively used.

The li uid which I secure from the above described process may be used without further treatment, after "freeing it by means of heat, from any moisture it may contain; or

it may be subjected to heat so as to drive off.

some of the liquids of low boiling point, if any should exist, before it is employed for nnpregnai mg the wood hbcr.

As an article of manufacture, wood impregnated with the hereinbefore described tar obtained the manufacture of oil and 10 water gas, said tar having a specific gravity greater than water, beginning to dlstil at about 150 (3., being fluid at normal temper' ature and substantially non-volatile, prac-' tically free of matter in suspension and antise tic to the organisms which attack wood.

11 witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

PETER C. REILLY. Witnesses:

V. H. LOCKWOOD, N. ALLEMONG. 

